Parfumatus

Burberry... Two things come to mind spontaneously: a beige cashmere scarf with a vintage check and the beige Burberry trench coat "Kensington". In my generation these were for a long time two status symbols of the autumn/winter season. And exactly at this time "London for Men" fits perfectly. As soon as the temperatures approach zero and the first Christmas markets invite you to take a walk, it's time for the scent of Burberry, who himself wears a small plaid winter coat. But there is one thing this scent needs in any case: fresh air, a scarf, sturdy shoes and best of all a wool coat, as the scent loves to lay on well dressed walkers. It underlines the chic winter/Christmas outfit outdoors.

The fragrance is first of all a woody Christmas bomb for me: this peppery yet pointy-cinnamon paired with a slightly lavender bergamot immediately gives me the winter/Christmas flash. The spice stand comes to mind, where spice blends lie in baskets ready for the next bottling. Not far away, a tea-room that offers warm apple juice with cinnamon. And for a healthy self the so called "witch stand" with all kinds of mixed herbs and spices. However, the smell of lavender, which hangs from the tent's tarpaulin in the form of dried twigs and which, according to a saleswoman, is said to lead to better sleep under the pillow, stands out.

After a few metres of strolling I only now perceive the heart and base notes of the fragrance: leather, port wine, bark and tobacco. These notes are so beautifully interwoven and give me a warm, pleasant feeling. This very Christmas feeling. My gaze is directed towards the mulled wine stand at the end of the alley. The scent of warm wine and fine spices fills my nose. I enter the small forecourt on which the mulled wine merchant's construction wagon stands and easily stumble. A man leaning against one of the bar tables grabs my arm and prevents me from finding myself on the floor to the left. Even if the bark mulch lying spread out on the ground would have cushioned my fall, I can do without it. So this is where the smell of wood must come from. The older man with beard and chubby cheeks warmed by mulled wine looks at me with a smile. He takes his pipe, decorated with bird motifs, out of his mouth and blows the smoke with relish. For a moment I no longer see the man with the beard. But now it smells of warm pipe tobacco. After this tobacco smell we all like. He speaks to me: Who were you dreaming about? Who he the Santa Claus?

Yeah, Davidoff Cool Water is boring. But what does boring really mean? "Boring is the oppressive feeling of idleness or monotony." Yes, Davidoff is monotonous if you compare it to modern fragrances, where the aim is to reproduce as many facets as possible in a fragrance at the same time, so that the fragrance attains the highest possible complexity. But does that always have to be the case? Certainly not. It takes monotony to appreciate complexity and vice versa. Ying and Yang. So it also needs scents like Davidoff Cool Water.
Cool Water is a good aquatic scent that reminds me of a freshly shaved aspiring adult male. Wet shaved with sea water. The scent is not exciting, but it is a good, reliable aquatic scent. That's what the definition of high-quality shaving lotion should smell like, right? Cool Water is and remains a classic. It will never develop the great passion in me but I will never be indifferent to it.

The wind is blowing in my face. A warm, salty breeze. I'm standing on a cliff overlooking the Mediterranean. Right in front of me is a small wild fig orchard. Fig trees, probably as old as the monuments from the ancient Greek times of the island. Curious I reach for a leaf of the tree and rub it between my hands. The thick leaves slowly give way and the smell of freshly cut green develops. This smell is so fresh, natural and soothing at the same time. A smell where I close my eyes and breathe deeply. With my eyes closed, I perceive a new scent: a fruity, milky note as warm as the sun's rays on my face but at the same time as refreshing as the spray of the sea that day. I open my eyes again and see fruits lying at the foot of a tree. That must be it. I tear the fruit apart with my bare hands, there it is again, the green scent, so gentle and yet so fruity strong. The fig is surrounded by a firm shell that protects the precious inside and shimmers purple in the sun. Inside, the sweet fruit, which spreads a milky-fruity aroma.

For me, Philosykos is an absolute feel-good scent. It is exciting without being exciting, it is green but not mossy green, but fresh green. It is fruity but not sweet-fruity. It is simply pleasantly green-fruity fresh. It refreshes and gives me a feeling of security. This is what a garden with ripe, healthy fruits must smell like. In the Drydown for me a fig milk in an old wooden vat in which still pressed fig leaves are floating.

When I was bottling Musk Deer, I didn't really have any real scent expectations. I wonder how the noble stag could smell in his uniform Of forest, of game, of morning dew or wet forest floor? It smells like oily cardamom. Like an expensive soap in the first drydown. At the end of the drydown, like an expensive bath additive. But the water is cold. For me, a category of scents that doesn't appeal to me. I can't feel any animal in here.

Zoologist is in my eyes one of those modern perfume brands with a lot of potential. A nice idea, modern high-quality flacons and great fragrance descriptions simply make you want to buy this brand. Even my girlfriend, who usually doesn't care much about high-quality perfumes, found the brand's presentation interesting. And interest is, as we all know, an important quality when first contacting an unknown brand. So far so good... So it had to be bottled. And if you already order in Canada then there should be three. But primarily it was the elephant that aroused my interest. But now more about that...

Why did it have to be the elephant? This has two reasons:

The first reason is profane. I just like green scents. The smell of nature in the form of medicinal herbs, plants, etc. has a calming and vitalizing effect on me at the same time. This security of nature, which perhaps awakens a certain impulse in all of us, makes me happy.

The second reason: An elephant is simply a great animal. After a journey through the fascinating landscape of Thailand and the closer contact with elephants in a breeding station (one of the less "good" breeding stations in the country), these beautiful animals stay in my memory for a very long time. These animals as heavy as a car, strong as a rhinoceros, clever as a monkey but at the same time, if wanted so careful and cautious that despite their size and strength you feel no fear but still a lot of respect, are just great. So elephants radiate exactly what I appreciate so much in green scents. Something that people have seen for decades in medicinal plants or the power of nature, I see in elephants. The gentle giant with which I walk protected through the densely overgrown Thai forest. Although he destroys some of nature with every movement and plasters half of the path himself, he never acts as a troublemaker for me.

Full of previous friends and with some associations, I wait for the rehearsals from Canada. It took 10 days, then the rehearsal was there. The next morning I applied the scent in the form of 2 sprayers on the neck.

The first impulse: a prick in the head. What was that? Wait one more time, then smell and then a twinge of flowers. But what note is that? Magnolia? Tea? Leaves? It must be magnolia. I smell like a tropical plant that has been cut open and whose plant juices are slowly draining from the plant. Actually you should think: Yes, this is the smell I know from my florist around the corner and which reminds me of great occasions or nature. It reminds me of nature. However, it reminds me of the nature that says: if you drink the plant milk of this plant you will die, don't try it. Do not smell me for too long. I am tropical, I am dangerous I do not want to be eaten. Elephant better not eat me.

Panic ensues. This doesn't smell like any jungle I know. But I want to like the "elephant" and especially the zoologist..

I ignore the first reluctance and get in the car. A glance at the thermometer: 3 degrees. The poisonous plant is still with me. Why doesn't it get less? After 10 minutes it doesn't. The smell of the plant is annoying, it takes away my air to breathe and it keeps on stinging. Open the windows, open the roof and it gets cold. But the cold is better to bear than the smell of the plant, which insidiously keeps pushing itself into the innermost part of my head.

It's not working anymore. The smell must go down and fast

On the way to work, where I was collecting a colleague, I stormed the bathroom and tried to get rid of the elephant. He fought back with all his might, with force and stubbornness. We need soap. Wash the whole neck. Once, twice and a third time. The smell becomes less, even less and fades after a while. The elephant was furious. He doesn't want to see me anymore. And I learned that the jungle not only holds the good, but also the dangerous. At least for me

With great disappointment I get back into the car. The elephant was here. I can still smell it. My colleague smells it too. But he doesn't know from personal experience how dangerous he can be. To him, it smells like there was an old lady in the car with exotic flowers.

So ended my scent journey to the elephant in the Asian jungle. For me a great disappointment, which is probably also connected with the hypersensitivity to one of the components of this composition. I only smelled the coconut very briefly in the drydown. All that remains for me is the pungent, poisonous and for dangerous smell of the tropical blossom.

I wanted so much to like you. But we won't be friends ..